Oliver was a legend of Gala's sevens side and won one cap for Scotland, against Australia in June 1970. His path to further honours with Scotland was blocked by the excellence of his Gala team-mates Nairn MacEwan and Peter Brown who formed a reliable back-row alongside Rodger Arneil.

During his career he also represented Scottish Borders, Edinburgh Borderers and the South and also played Sevens for Scotland at Murryfield in 1973. His involvement with Gala Sevens saw him win 16 tournaments in a row during the early 1970s.